Now that iOS 6 has been announced there have been a lot of reviewers analyzing the features to see which ones are promising and the ones that are not so good.
iOS 6 features rundown
One of the features is the Map app where Apple have departed from their years working with Google and embarked on creating their own Map application. Ole Begemann, an iOS developer ,made some interesting comments on Google’s high reputation with regards to maps, so it is a shame that Apple have chosen to stop working with them.
Also, as mentioned on ZDNet (referencing Use Your Loaf’s Keith Harrison) if you are a developer you may be interested in the In-App Purchase API – though it may not be that easy to put into place. A reason for this is the fact you have to use an external server to host additional content. Apple should really have the ability to host it on their own servers, but as this is not a possibility, IAPs may be used less.
Harrison goes on to say “We don’t yet know what new hardware might arrive to run iOS 6 but we did learn that iOS 6 will not be available on the original iPad. I was a little surprised to see that it will be available on the iPhone 3GS and fourth generation iPod Touch. I have to wonder how well it will work on those older devices with limited memory and processor power, but it seems odd that they would support the 3GS but not the first iPad (which is more powerful)?”
He is not alone in thinking about this – many have wondered why, but as David Morgenstern mentions on ZDNet, it could be something to do with memory on the devices.
Another criticism is from Clark Goble on Clark’s Tech Blog. He says that a number of problems on iOS5 have not been sorted out, when that really should have been the first thing Apple did. Examples include multiple IDs, iBook support for OS X and communication between apps. He says “It’s great that iOS supports external keyboards but it does so poorly. Standard Mac shortcuts don’t work. But it’s also difficult for developers to read the keyboard in the same way (key down, key up). Further Apple doesn’t make tabbing between fields easy. (This may be fixed in iOS6 – I’ve not run the betas, but I’ve not heard anything about this).”
Goble goes on; “Multiple Apple IDs. A HUGE issue now that lots of people share things like iPads. At a minimum there needs to be a simple way to merge Apple IDs.”
In addition to this, Goble says that there are problems with GPS on iOS; “GPS for OSX. If the solution for folks who find the iPad too restrictive is an [MacBook] Air then why not give the Air and MBP [MacBook Pro] the same GPS capabilities along with the same Maps program?”
Some of the best features have also been discussed. On Twitter at Cocoanetics, Oliver Drobnik wrote that he believed the top feature on iOS6 is Passbook, whilst Benjamin Stevens compliments “Do Not Disturb”. He says “I like that Do Not Disturb feature. Often woken by friends playing Words with Friends in other time zones”.
Morgenstern, mentioned earlier, also says the Bluetooth interface has been developed upon favourably.
[via]
